Listen to Dialogue

Dialogue Transcript

Wainwright: Thank you for coming in today Mr Li to make a formal statement. Before we begin our interview I just need to confirm a few details. For the record could you state your name, address and telephone number? [李先生，感谢您今天过来做正式陈述。在开始询问之前，我想确认一些细节。处于记录的目的，请口述一下您的姓名、住址和电话号码。]

We spoke to the other witnesses – the teller and the manager. However we have yet to ascertain your whereabouts when the crime was committed. Could you please take me through what you did on that day? [我们已经询问过其他证人了——出纳员和经理。可是我们还没查明案发时您的行踪。可不可以说一下那天您干了什么？]

Daming (大名):我想一想。我的老婆林静那天跟我到CITY差不多是早上九点半，我们到银行那时候正好是11点之前。林静去了银行门口的自动取款机那里去取一些钱。[Let me see. My wife, Linjing, and I travelled into the city at about 9.30am that day. We got to the bank just before 11am. Linjing went to withdraw some money from the ATM at the front of the bank.]

( … )

我去了银行的那栋楼，然后说要跟蒂姆·马蒂森见面，他是那儿的出纳员之一。在过去的十二个月之中都是他在处理跟我生意相关的事情。[I went into the building and asked to see Tim Madison, one of the tellers. He’s been dealing with the matters relating to my business over the past 12 months.]

Daming (大名):我到银行的时候身上有3000多的现金，要存到我的商业账户里边儿去。但是就在我正准备把钱从包里边儿拿出来的时候，我看到有一个男人朝出纳员那边儿走了过去。[I came to the bank with just over $3,000 in cash to make a deposit into my business account. But before I even had a chance to take it out of my bag, I saw a man walking towards the tellers.]

( … )

他穿了一件红灰色的条子衬衣，运动裤和黑皮鞋，而且他带了个面具。[He was wearing a red-and-grey striped shirt, track pants and black leather shoes, and he wore a mask.]

Wainwright: When you say “mask”, what type of mask do you mean? Was it like a balaclava, or maybe a clown mask – did it cover his entire head, or only his face? [您所指的“面具”，是指的哪种面具？是像头套那样的还是小丑帽那种？面具遮住了整个头还是只遮住了脸部？]

Daming (大名):不对，跟那两个不大像，是一个白色的，塑料的面具，那种你可以在礼品店里面买到的。[No, it wasn’t anything like those – it was a white, plastic mask, the kind you buy from a gift shop.]

Wainwright: Did you notice any other distinguishing features about the perpetrator? Any details you can recall will be of great help to the investigation. [您有没有注意到该犯人的其他显著特征？您回忆起来的任何细节都将极大帮助整个调查。]

Daming (大名):很明显，由于他带着一个面具，我完全看不到他的脸。但是从背后看我注意到他是个秃头。[Obviously because he was wearing a mask I couldn’t see his face at all. But from the back I noticed he was bald.]

Wainwright: Bald you say. What happened after that? [您说是秃头噢。那后来呢？]

Daming (大名):然后他把枪掏出来，吼着向出纳员要钱。我当时跟马蒂森先生跪在桌子底下。[That’s when he got out his gun and was shouting at the tellers for money. I was kneeling under the desk with Mr Madison.]

( … )

我把手举起来了，我注意到马蒂森已经用手机给警察打电话了。我真是吓坏啦。之前我没有经常过这样的事情。[I had my hands up. I noticed Mr Madison had called the police on his mobile phone. I was petrified. I’ve never been through something like this before.]

Wainwright: Do you feel up to continuing this interview at present? If not, we can pick it up later in the week. [您现在想继续本次询问吗？如果不想，我们可以这周再挑个时间继续。]

Daming (大名):不用，没事儿的，还是现在把这事搞定吧。抢劫那个过程只不过几分钟的事情而已。[No, it’s OK, I’d rather it get it over and done with now. Actually the whole thing was over in just a few minutes.]

( … )

大部分时间我都没抬头，所以直到我听见他摔门出去的时候才知道他已经离开银行了。我希望我可以给你更多的信息，但是我觉得我没什么要多说的了。[I had my head down for most of it, so I had only noticed he had left the bank when I heard the front door slam. I wish I could give you more information but I don’t think I have any more to give.]

Wainwright: Actually it turns out the man we detained has confessed to robbing three banks in four days, and we’ve charged him with all three counts. He first struck on the 1st, then on the 2nd, and the 4th – the day you were present. [事实上，我们拘留的那个人已经供认他在四天内抢劫了三家银行，我们已用三项罪名起诉他。第一次抢劫发生在1号，第二次，2号，第三次也就是您在场的那次，是4号。]

( … )

In each case the suspect walked into the bank wearing a plastic mask, approached the tellers and demanded cash, telling them he had a gun and would shoot if they refused to do what he said. [每次抢劫时，疑犯都会戴着塑料面具进银行，直接走向出纳员找他要钱，他说他有枪，如果不按他说的做，他就会开枪。]

Daming (大名):我想起来了还有一件事 —— 我老婆林静，当时那个男的进银行的时候她还在外边儿呢。[I just thought of one more thing – my wife Linjing, she was outside when the man entered the bank.]

( … )

上次我告诉过你们，那个男的出银行的时候抢劫了我老婆。他把枪指着她的胸口，还搜了身，抢走了钱包和手提包。整个过程太恐怖了，我老婆还经常做恶梦呢。[I told you last time that the man mugged her when he got out of the bank. He put the gun to her chest, frisked her entire body and snatched her wallet and handbag. The whole experience was terrifying for her and she still has nightmares about it.]

Wainwright: Right. In these situations we do offer – and recommend – that you attend trauma counselling. I can also to talk to your wife’s employer to arrange some time off for her to attend these sessions if she wishes. [好的。在这种情况下，我们提供——也建议——你们能进行创伤咨询。如果您妻子愿意的话，我也可以跟她雇主说一声，帮她安排一些假来参加这些咨询。]

Daming (大名):我想她会很感激的。还有什么其他细节要讲的吗？[I think she would appreciate that. Are there any more details to go through?]

Wainwright: Yes there are, but let’s take a five minute breather, and we’ll go through some of the more specific details later. [是的，还有一些，但是我们先休息5分钟，然后再讨论一些其他细节。]

If you enjoyed reading this post, you might also be interested in reading:

2 Comments to "Mandarin-English Dialogue #1 – Bank Robbery"

Great! Just want to let you know that exercises like this one are much appreciated. I personally lack any kind of designed learning material and only read/listen to native material on my own, so it’s great to have some focused exercises. Keep up the good work!